Celebrate Brooklyn is a long-running free concert series in Prospect Park. Lovett's show marked the close of the 34th season.

David Andrako for NPR

Seeing a concert at the Prospect Park Bandshell is a surefire way to spend a summer night. Seeing Lyle Lovett close out the 2012 Celebrate Brooklyn season was something special — and we were there to record the Aug. 11 show.

Whether he's backed by his Large Band or (in this case) his Acoustic Group, Lovett always surrounds himself with superb musicians. The backing band this evening was comprised of a couple of youngsters (guitarist/mandolinist Keith Sewell and fiddler Luke Bulla) and a couple of longtime Lyle cohorts (John Hagen on cello and Viktor Krauss on bass) plus the legendary drummer Russ Kunkel. Like Lovett, they wore charcoal gray suits and ties and looked mighty sharp.

Lovett was classy, witty and generous, giving his sidemen a chance to shine and bringing singers Arnold McCuller, Aoife O'Donovan (who opened the evening with her band) and Kat Edmondson onstage for vocal turns. The evening mixed and matched various combinations of musicians, and the set list, while drawing on Lovett's most recent album Release Me, included plenty of favorites from throughout his career. As always, there was barely a genre — country, folk, blues, swing, bluegrass — left untouched.

The last few numbers — "That's Right (You're Not From Texas)," "White Freightliner Blues" and the encore "Can't Resist It" — showed what a juggernaut this group can be. Lovett's been at this for nigh on 30 years and remains at the top of his game.

Set List

Intro

"Release Me"

"White Boy Lost in The Blues"

"Isn't That So"

"Well All Right"

"Understand You"

"One Way Gal"

"Remember Well"

"L.A. County"

"Night's Lullaby"

"Up In Indiana"

"Let Me Fall"

"If I Had A Boat"

"She's No Lady"

"North Dakota"

"That's Right (You're Not From Texas)"

"White Freightliner Blues"

"Can't Resist It"

Credits

Audio engineer: George Wellington for WNYC. Host: John Platt, WFUV. Special thanks to Celebrate Brooklyn and BRIC Arts.